Understanding disinfectant terminology

August 18, 2009

PETERBOROUGH, ON, Canada — Disinfectants play a major role in the professional cleaning industry, but unlike other cleaning products, they have their own terminology that must be understood to ensure they are being used the way they were intended, according to a press release.

Disinfection efficacy: A list of the pathogens that are killed by properly using the disinfectant, the release stated.

Parts per million (PPM): Disinfectants are considered to be efficacious if the PPM is above 300–350; more effective disinfectant concentrates are designed to yield almost twice that amount, the release noted.

Cost in use: The actual cost associated with using a product, determined by analyzing the cost of using the solution after dilution, the release added.

According to the release, other important terms are: Cleaning efficacy, or a disinfectant’s ability to remove soil; and dwell time, or the amount of time the product must remain weton a surface for the active ingredients to be effective.

Mark Warner, product manager for disinfectants and sanitizers for Enviro-Solutions Ltd., said: "To use disinfectants properly requires considerable product knowledge. An astute JanSan distributor can prove to be an invaluable resource when it comes to enhancing customers’ disinfectant lexicon."